The security of any business is always imperative. Your physical assets including office hardware, software, products, and your employees are important parts of the business function and keeping a secure building is an important part of the success of any operation. Luckily, modern technology lets business owners effectively secure their facilities better and more intelligently than ever before using surveillance systems. Technological developments are more efficient at managing and storing surveillance. The tech is increasingly more affordable allowing even small businesses to upgrade their security.
Benefits of security cameras for your business
Security cameras are a clear and direct demotivator for criminal activity. Surveillance cameras with accompanying signage alerting people they are being monitored are like a big “beware of dog” sign. They greatly deter criminals from targeting your facility because there is a much greater risk of getting caught. Similarly, security cameras can capture criminal activity and assist law enforcement in capturing criminals. This speeds up the recovery process for your business after a break-in and can save you thousands of dollars in recovered assets.
Security cameras also have the potential to increase internal efficiencies in your operation. Monitoring employees encourages productivity and having reviewable footage allows you to monitor daily operations and apply corrective training as seen fit. As a bonus, some businesses may receive insurance premiums just for having security cameras in the facility. For many businesses, security cameras are definitely worth the cost.
Types of cameras
In terms of surveillance cameras, there are two primary types: Internet Protocol (IP) Cameras and Analog Cameras. Analog Cameras sends recordings to a digital video recorder (DVR) and converts the analog to digital and stores it. Internet Protocol Cameras can send and receive data from a computer network rather than sending it to a DVR for storage. It is important to compare the day to day features of the two cameras when deciding which direction to go.
RESOLUTION
IP cameras can record footage between 1 megapixel and 5 megapixels making them store incredibly clear and high-quality footage vs the ½ megapixel of an analog camera. Additionally, IP cameras generally allow for a larger field of vision meaning one IP camera could potentially do the work of two Analog cameras.
SET-UP
IP cameras only need one cord for both data and power making it a cleaner and simpler installation over analog. You are able to focus and zoom in remotely meaning as long as you have the angle you want you can focus and enlarge any visual you want.
ANALYTICS AND INTELLIGENCE
With analog cameras you simply set them up and start recording but when an incident occurs there is no ability to find it or be notified quickly. IP cameras have the added benefit of being able to flag events based on motion. You can quickly jump to events or get notification of certain activities.
COST
While the gap has closed more as time goes on IP cameras tend to be more expensive than Analog. But commercial facilities often opt for IP regardless because of the added benefits.
Other things to keep in mind
LIGHTING
When recording at night or in areas with less lighting using low-light imaging technology is crucial. Cameras can have different sensitivities to light. The fewer lumens a camera has the darker it can be while still picking up most images. It’s important that cameras set in bright areas don’t have too few lumens or else the picture will be blindly bright making it useless.
INDOOR/OUTDOOR
Indoor cameras generally don’t need to be particularly durable however if you want a camera set outside you need a camera that is dustproof and resistant to extreme weather. Outdoor cameras often come with an IP or Ingress Protection rating (not to be confused with IP Cameras). In an IP rating, the first number represents durability against solids and the second represents durability against water. The higher the IP rating the more durable the camera.
MEMORY
Security cameras have to store weeks of footage. Luckily, data compression technology is very advanced. However, it’s important for security camera buyers to be aware of the different memory systems.
Internal Memory Card: The cheapest option is to use a memory card built into the camera. These tend to not have a lot of memory and have to be replaced often.
Hard Drives: Whether it’s your computer’s hard drive or an external drive many cameras can store the data through a personal memory drive. This is, of course, limited by how much data you can store on the selected device but hard drives do not need to be replaced as much as internal memory cards.
Cloud Storage: Off-site storage is quickly becoming popular. Two or more terabytes of encrypted storage from a recurring fee mean there is little manual work that has to be done versus the other two options.
The flying locksmith’s commercial security camera solution
We offer expert consulting for commercial security camera selection and placements. Our expert technicians can install your security camera system and get your business the surveillance solution you are looking for. Feel free to reach us by phone at 1-800-649-5397 or visit our site to find a location near you. If you have any questions get in contact with us and we can provide over 70 years worth of experience to help improve your security.